


The Final Shot

by rather-amazing-fangirl (rather_amazing_fangirl)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Basketball, Boxing, Cooking, Cuddles, Eremin - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, High School, Injury, M/M, Reibert - Freeform, Sina - Freeform, Singing, Smut, Sports, Swimming, Tennis, eruri - Freeform, jeanmarco, sina academy, springles - Freeform, the final shot, year 12, yumikuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:28:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3491765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rather_amazing_fangirl/pseuds/rather-amazing-fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Kirschtein has always loved basketball. It was the only thing keeping him going through school. Now into his final year at the elite Sina Academy Private Boarding School, he is the captain of the best high school basketball team around. Everything depends on this last year, this is his final shot at being scouted for a professional team. He has it all under control. That is, until a certain freckled swimmer comes into his life. </p><p>Fluff, angst, a little bit of smut and basically a whole ball of Jeanmarco adorableness. This is just another cliched High School fan fic about two adorkable nerds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this fic :) Special thanks to the amazing freckledjeankirschtein for helping to edit this work, check out her fic 'Open Your Eyes', it's amazing!

Life is a pile of shit.  
Especially when that pile of shit forces you to go to that hell hole named school. Actually, school itself isn't so bad, it’s really just the idiotic, know-it-all teachers, the stupid-ass students, the sleep-inducing lessons and lectures and assemblies and assignments and tests and that vomit-worthy cafeteria food.  
But, believe it or not, there are actually two things that make school bearable for me.  
One of them is basketball, and the other has freckles on his arse.  
This is the story of my final shot.  
This is the story of how I met my freckled Jesus.

 

Well, he’s not actually Jesus, he’s just really nice and cool and…  
You know what? I’m gonna cut the ‘attention grabbing prologue’ part of this story; WAY too dramatic. Who cares about stupid prologues anyway? Certainly not me. All they’re good for are raising people’s hopes, only to slam the back down after they read the actual crappy story. And I’m pretty sure this story’s gonna sound like crap to you.  
Pages and pages of sappy, clichéd crap.  
But I don’t give two shits about your opinion cause this is MY story, about MY Marco.  
Why should I give a damn what you think when I have him.  
Anyways, read on if you wish.  
I don’t think it’s crap.  
I think it’s actually pretty bloody brilliant.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean arrives at Sina Academy for his final year of highschool, and meets a freckled weirdo in a tight swimsuit.

My final year of high school began with me driving down the highway, shouting along to ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ by Jet as loud as humanly possible and taking sips of my double-shot late, trying not to spill the boiling hot liquid on my crotch. Even though my bright red buggy was brand new, it was already littered with Starbucks cups, Coke cans, scrunched up food wrappers and a bunch of other crap; it looked like a bomb had gone off, but it was still my baby.

  
This was it. I was in year 12. The final year of senior school. This was the big one, the year that decided whether my life was going to crash and burn or not. I was nervous as shit. That was partially the reason I was singing like such an obnoxious, tone-deaf freak; it drowned out my thoughts.

  
“BIG BLACK BOOTS,  
LONG BROWN HAIR,  
SHE’S SO SWEET,  
WITH HER,  
**JET BLACK STARE!** ”

  
Mikasa immediately came to mind. Raven haired, pale skinned, athletic, champion boxer; basically, badass.

Damn, she was sweet.

I couldn’t believe that I was actually dating her. She was so out of my league. But for some reason, when I pictured my hot-ass girlfriend, the hot spike of lust that normally jolted through me didn’t come. That’d been happening since I started dating her- for some reason, as soon as we became a thing, I started losing interest. Oh well. At least I could say I had a hot girlfriend.

Yeah, I was a dick that way.

  
I sung even louder. No more thoughts, no more worries. I just had one more year, only one more year to be scouted out for the pro-basketball team, one more year to prove myself. If I could just make the team, and have a chance to play professionally, I could finally get my life on track. Basketball was my one talent, I couldn’t fuck this up.

  
“SHIT!” Lost in my horrible singing and nervousness for the year ahead, I’d missed the turn-off for Sina Academy. I groaned as I realized my mistake had cost me an extra half-hour detour. “Fuuuck…” I sighed and rapidly tapped my fingers on the steering wheel in annoyance, mentally adding my mistake to the top of my ‘things I fucked up in 2015’ list. The first of many to come.

  
****

  
It took me a little over an hour and a half to reach the fancy front gates of Sina Academy. As I rolled up the paved driveway framed by neatly trimmed hedges, I marveled at the true magnificence of the school.

  
Think of the fanciest mansion you can. Now think of a whole cluster of those mansions and add rolling green ovals, courtyards surrounded by flowering trees and filled with picnic tables, gardens with every type of flower you can imagine, multiple courts and facilities for almost every sport. This was the grounds for the elite private boarding school that is Sina Academy, for the academically gifted and athletically blessed.

  
This place was the shit.

The expensive shit.

  
It cost each child near $40,000 each year to attend; but if you could afford it, your child was given the best education and training for the future any academy could offer. This place was highly regarded, posh, and filled with snobby rich kids who got everything they wanted in life. I’m sad to say that I’m included in that last category. I still hated it though. The only reason I hadn't gotten myself expelled yet was because of the sporting side of this place.

  
Sport was this school’s specialty. Almost every sporting legend came from this place; you name them, they studied here. Sina offered more sports than you could count, but the only one I cared about was Basketball.

  
I drove up to the closed school gates, and parked next to the gate monitor. Pulling out my I.D and enrollment forms, I rolled down my window and offered the papers to the person inside the glass booth. An overly happy man accepted them. He was middle aged, with greased back hair and a crisp suit. His smile faltered slightly when he noticed the absence of parents in my car.

  
“Arriving alone are you sir?” He questioned. I just gave a curt nod. I hated to explain my family business to others. People would always give me this pitiful look, and talk disapprovingly about how parents should always be around for their kids. My parents weren't shit, they knew very well that they hardly ever got to see me. They both ran highly esteemed companies, and were often forced to sacrifice their time with me for their businesses, and that included driving me to boarding school. It wasn't their fault and I couldn't stand people dissing my parents for what they couldn't control.

  
The man gave me an odd look, then glanced down at my papers. He surveyed the information, then stamped off the forms. He then fumbled around for my new key card. Handing me the card he said, “Welcome, Mr. Kirschtein, your dorm room is in the Interior, Stohess wing, room NO.50. I trust you can find your way?” I once again gave a nod, then mumbled a small, “thanks”. The towering gates swung open and I drove through into the school’s courtyard parking lot.

  
Grunting and heaving, I finally managed to unload my huge pile of suitcases onto one of the luggage trolleys. I slammed the car boot shut, locking it with a click of the keys, and giving its shiny red coating a pat.

My baby.

  
Wheeling the trolley through the Stohess Wing lobby, muttering a greeting to the teacher seated behind the help desk, I shuffled my way into the shining elevator and pressed up.

  
1…2…3… the numbers kept going up with a little ding as the lift passed each floor. Annoying elevator music played out of crackly speakers, just quiet enough to be like a mosquito buzzing in my ear. Seriously, this school was so rich, surly it could afford to play good quality music in the elevators. I turned to the mirror that took up one of the steel walls and inspected myself. I ran a hand through my sandy coloured hair, revealing my dark brown undercut. I guess looked decent enough, in a simple black jacket, grey shirt, black skinny jeans, and a red, blue and black infinity scarf. But the early morning and long car drive had taken its toll on me. I had bags under my eyes and I looked even more pissed off than usual.

The elevator let out a final ding, jarring to a halt on floor 5.

  
I heaved my trolley down the long, maroon-carpeted corridor. I stopped before a large, white door with a golden handle, the number 50 embedded in the wood in flourished gold letters.

Wow.

  
The year 12 dorms looked even fancier than the previous rooms I’d stayed in.

  
I swiped the key card through the handle, then revealed what would be my home for the next school year.

Holy crap.

This place was humongous.

The entrance opened to a massive white carpeted living room, complete with a comfy looking couch, a mahogany coffee table and a huge, flat-screen, plasma TV and Xbox (obviously placed there by my roommate, Connie). Large, glass sliding doors opened to a cute little veranda, decked with a small table and chairs and completed with a view of the luscious, green grounds and the school pool. To the right of the entrance, was a cozy looking study, with two large desks and a wooden bookshelf, and a spacious bathroom. To the left, two closed doors were situated along the wall, most likely leading to the bedrooms.

  
I never knew a school could provide such luxury.

  
I opened the doors to one of the rooms, only to find it occupied by Connie’s luggage. Connie had been my friend through all of senior school, and while he could be unbearably annoying, we always shared a room. I dumped my suitcases in the other room, deciding to unpack my crap later. I fell onto the couch in the living room and pulled out my phone.

  
**To: Connie – yo where r u?**

  
I lay there for a while, mentally preparing myself for the next week. I would have today and Sunday to settle in, but then it was straight into lessons. I let out a groan at the prospect. The loud ping from my phone brought me back to the present.

  
**From: Connie – so u’ve finlly arrivd. im @ the pool, u shuld come ovr**

  
I scoffed at his terrible texting, then gave a sneer at the thought of going down to the school pool. I’d always hated swimming.

  
**To: Connie – y? no way am I swimming**

  
**From: Connie – aw come on man**

  
**mikasas here ;)**

  
I rolled my eyes at his text. Just because Mikasa was at the pool didn’t mean I had to come running like some freaking dog. I had plenty of time to see her later on.

  
**From: Connie - so is sasha :P**

  
Uuuuugggghhhh… if Sasha was there, then that meant Connie wouldn’t leave the pool if his life depended on it. He’d had a crush on that food-loving weirdo since the start of senior school, and hadn’t been afraid to show it. He was constantly going out of his way to talk to her, and flirting with her whenever he got the chance. Honestly, I didn’t know how he hadn’t been bitch-slapped yet, he was a serious stalker.

I sighed in defeat. I didn’t just want to sit on my ass all day by myself. Scowling, I texted back,

  
**To: Connie – uugghh… >:( fine. but only 4 mikasa**

  
The last bit was a lie, but I felt like I needed to put it in, to sound like a good boyfriend and shit. I mean, Mikasa was cool and all, but she wasn’t exactly the loving type. It was near impossible to start a conversation with her, she would just kind of stand there; absolutely gorgeous, but devoid of any emotion, her face hidden behind the red scarf she always wore.

We’d actually only gotten together because of one of her other friends, a blonde dude that looked like a chick, called Armin. Armin was pretty cool, and managed to set Mikasa and I up on a date, despite the final member in Mikasa and Armin’s happy little trio, Mikasa’s step-brother, Eren fucking Jaeger.

Captain of the swim team, and the ultimate dickhead. Seriously, that guy would go all hulk-rage if anyone argued against him, everyone needed to know his opinion and only his.

Swollen-headed prick.

If he was at the pool with Mikasa and Connie, I’d be out of there.

I heard the ping of my phone as Connie replied.

  
**From: Connie – ur such a romantic XD**

**c u there**

  
I sighed and pocketed my phone. I didn’t bother putting on togs, I wouldn’t be swimming.

I grabbed my key card and walked straight to the pool.

  
Sina Academy prided itself in its top notch sporting facilities. Yet for some reason, they only had one pool. It was 50 metres long and heated, and in very good condition, but still, it was open to all the public, not just students. I didn’t know how the swim team ever got the space to practice. Not that I cared, that was Jaeger’s problem.

The entrance to the pool was quite empty, only one guy selling snacks at the pool-side cafeteria; but the actual pool itself was extremely crowded, everyone making use of the hot summer day. There were girls running around in small bikinis, guys showing off their muscles in baggy board shorts, families lathering sunscreen onto little kids; the place was packed.

It reminded me how much I hated large groups of people.

  
I went to walk in, but was suddenly stopped in my tracks. Standing in my path was a guy, just a little taller than me, in an extremely revealing speedo. Seriously, this thing was so tight, I didn’t think he was expecting to ever have children. I didn’t even know how someone could stand to be seen in public in this eye-sore: mid-thigh length, black and purple, dick-choking speedos.

Dude.

I immediately could tell he was on the swim team, the only people who would wear such an atrocity would be in Jaeger’s club. He was tan, quite muscular, with a button nose and round, dark brown eyes that just gleamed with optimism and over-enthusiasm. His black hair was neatly combed and parted at the front, it looked like his mother had done it for him.

His most distinguishing feature, however, was the mass of freckles that covered his entire body. Seriously, it was like someone had dumped a bucket of brown sprinkles on his face, his arms, his chest; hell, he probably even had freckles on his arse, though how they would’ve gotten there was a mystery to me. His speckled face was lit up with the cheesiest smile I’d ever seen.

God, this guy looked like a pussy.

  
He gave me a little awkward wave, “Hi there! My name’s Marco Bodt, and I’m a new member of the Sina Swim Team!” His word were so sugar coated they made me sick.  
“Um… hi?” I replied, looking over his shoulder for Connie’s bald head with no luck.

Marco beamed even more.

“What’s your name? Are you a student here at Sina?” He looked at me expectantly, I raised an eyebrow.  
“Does it matter?” I answered grumpily. Marco’s smile didn’t waver at all, he just continued staring at me, still waiting for a proper reply. I finally gave in to that white-toothed grin, “Uh, my name’s Jean, Jean Kirschtein, and yeah…” Marco offered me his hand to shake,  
“Nice to meet you Jsh-aan!” He seemed to be toying with the feel of my name in his mouth, his brain working to store it away for future use.

Like I ever wanted to see this guy again.

I mean, I couldn’t help but feel a little better towards him now that he’d pronounced my name correctly, but he was still a bright little daisy bathed in sunlight that just made me want to slap him back into the harsh reality of life.  
I refused his hand.   
Trying to make it obvious that I wanted out of this conversation, I said,  
“Yeah… Um, Marco? Can you let me past, I’m kind of trying to find a friend…” Marco’s face dropped a little, but then it lit back up when he said,  
“Of course! Could I have your $3 entry fee please?”

What?!

Since when had there been an entry fee?

“Uh, wait, what? What entry fee, there’s no entry-“  
“Oh, yeah. It’s a new policy the school has introduced, what with all the people that come here. They saw it as a good way to raise money, so they introduced an entry fee. It’s only $3.”  
What the fuck? I had no money on me! And why the hell would I want to pay to go to a pool anyway?! This was bullshit.  
“Seriously? What the fuck? Look, I don’t have any money right now, I’m just meeting up with a friend. So if you’d just let me…” Marco gave a little disapproving frown,  
“Sorry, I can’t do that. You need to pay the fee or I can’t let you in, sorry for any inconvenience.”  
I gave my worst scowl, causing Marco to take a step back. Like hell this bitch cared about my ‘inconveniences’.

“This is bullshit! Fucking hell! Who comes up with this crap?! Uuugh, whatever.” I stormed back outside, in a red haze of frustration, Marco’s shocked expression behind me.

Fuck that idiot.

  
Seriously, who makes people pay to use their school’s own pool?! Grumbling angrily to myself, I leaned against the chain-link fence that surrounded the pool. I spotted Connie, Mikasa, Armin and Sasha on the other side, Connie splashing around next to Sasha, and Mikasa and Armin sitting on the pool’s edge. I tried to get their attention, but Connie was too busy showing of his ‘abs’ to Sasha, to notice me.

I was about to call out to Mikasa and Armin, when Eren strutted up to them both, talking loudly about some shit that only he cared about.

There was no way in hell I was going to meet Jaeger today, I was pissed off as it was.

I stormed away, hands stuffed in my pockets, and went back up to the dorm.

I cursed that smiling, speedo wearing idiot. Just because of that freckled pussy, I would be subjected to a whole afternoon of boredom, playing on my phone by myself.

I have to say, I never even suspected that Marco Bodt would soon change my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! First chapter done! I'll try and get the next one up as soon as possible :) This chapter was 2811 words :)  
> Next chapter you'll meet the whole basketball and swim teams!
> 
> I have tumblr if you're interested, it's: rather-amazing-fangirl
> 
> Special thanks to freckledjeankirschtein for editing my work :) You're awesome mate!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Food, growing tension, relationship problems, Marco, coffee and sport news :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, there are some homophobic slurs in this and I am sorry, they r very insulting and were hard for me to write, but I put them in for a bit of turbulence. Sorry in advance.
> 
> Also, some basketball terms for those who don't know:
> 
> POINT GUARD: usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time.
> 
> SHOOTING GUARD: creates a high volume of shots on offense, mainly long-ranged; and guards the opponent's best perimeter player on defense.
> 
> SMALL FORWARD: often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively.
> 
> POWER FORWARD: plays offensively often with their back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward
> 
> CENTER: uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on defense), or to rebound.

A bald human cannonball soaking you in pool water is not the best way to wake up.

I learnt that first hand as Connie jolted me awake; practically bomb-diving on top of me, still dripping wet from swimming and yelling a loud “WAZZUUUUP!” in my face.

I kneed the idiot in the stomach, knocking him to the floor, then proceeded to sit up, cursing at my now damp clothes. I must have dozed off on the couch for a while. Connie, now able to breathe again, staggered to his feet and punched me in the shoulder,

“Nice to see you too…” He rubbed his stomach, wincing, “Bro, I thought you were a basketball player, not a kickboxer…” I just glared at him,   
“I guess Mikasa’s rubbing off on me.” Connie smirked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively,  
“Wow man, I didn’t know you were so open about your sex life.” It took me a while to get what he was saying, but when I did…

Little shit. He could find something wrong in the most innocent of statements.

I elbowed him in the ribs,  
“Nice to see you bro.” I then rubbed my bleary eyes, checking my phone for the time. 5:30pm, wow, I’d slept for at least 5 hours. My phone screen showed multiple notifications from Connie messaging me after I left the pool.

**From: Connie – btw u hav 2 pay 3 buks 2 get in**

**where r u?**

**r u coming or wat?**

**dude mikasas waitn**

**dude**

**dude**

**dude**

**dude**

**dude**

**watevr**

**dont come**

**im coming up, c u soon!**

**open the door**

**nock nock**

**dude r u def?**

**omg u bettr not be asleep**

Connie looked over my shoulder at his messages,  
“Oh yeah, why didn’t you come down?” I remembered Marco and gave a small sneer,  
“Some dick forgot to tell me I had to pay to get in…” I gave Connie a glare. He smiled sheepishly,  
“I did tell you… just an hour too late.” I huffed.

Connie went into his room and I stretched and went to get something to eat out of the little mini fridge Connie had placed in the lounge room. My stomach gurgled as I opened the door, revealing empty shelves.

Uuuuuuuggggghhhh…

“Connie! What the fuck?! Why didn’t you buy food?!”  
“Dude, I only got here a few hours before you! I haven’t even fully unpacked!”

I groaned.

Jean needed food and he needed it right now.

Connie came into the room, holding his phone. He typed something in, then looked up,  
“Chill dude, Reiner just said he’s going to the dining hall with Bertl soon, we’ll just get some food there.” I sighed, that would have to do.

I quickly showered and changed before heading down with Connie to the food hall. We’d organized for the whole team to meet there.

For the past two years I’d been in the same basketball team. We were the best high school team in the state, well at least, we thought we were. It’d be good to see all my old teammates again, even if some of them were a little… flamboyant, to say the least.

The team was made up of Reiner Braun, our Center, Bertolt Hoover, who played Shooting Guard, Petra Ral, who was best at Small Forward, Connie, our best Power Forward, and me, who played Point Guard and was captain of the team. Our manager and coach was the terrifying, however short and somewhat melodramatic Coach Levi. He was the reason we all worked so hard, piss that guy off and you wouldn’t live to see another day.

Connie and I arrived at the hall and surprisingly managed to claim a table. We didn’t dare move to get our food until the others arrived, the eating hall was a survival of the fittest situation, you had to guard your table at all times, or you’d lose it to another ravenous hoard of students.

I heard Reiner’s bellow from across the hall. I could see the muscular blonde’s massive form waving enthusiastically at us, his other hand clasped in his boyfriend’s. Bertolt towered above everyone around him, his black hair constantly visible bobbing above the crowd. He gave a small smile and he and Reiner made their way towards us through the labyrinth of tables and chairs.

They were almost at our table when I heard a dis-embodied voice call out to the couple,   
“Hey fags! Get back in the closet!”

The whole food hall went quiet.

I stiffened, rage coursing through me. Jerking my head from side to side, I searched for the homophobic bitch that dared to insult my friends.

Another call came from the crowd,  
“Yeah! Get out! You’re dirtying up this place, it’s unhygienic!”

That’s it.

I sprung up, my face red. I wanted to strangle those dicks. Reiner and Bertolt just stood on the spot, their hands still intertwined. Bertolt was sweating profusely, glancing around nervously, while Reiner was fuming, his unoccupied hand clenched into a fist.

I was about to yell out in their defence, when Reiner’s voice echoed through the silent hall.

“WHO SAID THAT?!”

You could almost hear the tension in the room.

“I SAID WHO FUCKING SAID THAT?!”

A few people even flinched at Reiner’s fury. You’d have to be out of your mind to anger him, he was a beast.

Of course, no one answered Reiner’s furious calls.

A few teachers stood around the sides of the hall. I was sure one of them was going to intervene, but they just stood there, letting it play out. They actually looked like they wanted Reiner to hit someone. I guess they were also offended by those homophobic slurs, Coach Erwin was openly gay, and there was a rumour going around that Levi was as well. Those insulting comments hit the teaching community hard.

Bertolt gave Reiner’s hand a little squeeze and whispered something into his ear, which seemed to calm him a little.

“HUH?! NO ANSWER?! THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT!” Reiner bellowed, then he gave a bitter grin, “Cowards.”

The hall continued in its silence until Reiner and Bertl sat down. Reiner kissed Bertl’s cheek, before greeting us grimly. I was still silently fuming until I burst out, “Fucking homophobes like that should rot in hell!” Reiner and Connie nodded, Bertolt sweated.

We spoke no more on the subject.

It took a while for the grim mood at the table to dissipate, but soon we were laughing and joking, pushing the matter behind us. We were joined by Petra, who gave us all a kiss on the cheek and a hug; her short, strawberry-blonde hair bobbing around as she talked. She soon went to sit at another table though, and I didn’t blame her. Being the only girl on a team surround by a bunch of idiotic guys, I’m surprised that she could put up with us for even a little while.

We talked about our holidays, Connie re-enacting his encounter with a moose on his trip to Canada; Reiner guffawing loudly about how his grandfather reacted when he accidentally ran into Reiner and Bertolt making out; Bertl telling us about a pissed off customer at the Titan clothes store where he worked. The only interesting thing that happened to me was going on a date with Mikasa, which while it was nice, wasn’t amazing. The rest of my holiday was made up of video games, tumblr and basketball.

At some point, Bertolt and Reiner’s friend, Annie, joined the table. I didn’t know much about her, just that she went to Primary school with Rreiner and Bertl and she was an amazing boxer, rivalling even Mikasa. She didn’t talk the entire time and kinda just death stared us all whenever we asked her a question.

We got up one by one to get food, just some simple pasta. Everything was fine, we were chatting normally, until I spotted Eren.

He was sitting just a few tables down with the rest of the swim team. There was the blonde-haired Thomas (not overly awful, but always hung out with Jaeger); Mina, a cute black-haired girl who I didn’t really know; Ymir, a tall, freckled girl with black hair and a tomboyish look, who I just so happened to know was a complete bitch; and that other freckled kid, Marco, sitting there meekly with his mamma’s boy hairstyle. Ymir’s girlfriend, the adorable little angel Krista and Armin were also there.

Then I spotted Mikasa.

Sitting right next to Eren, not even looking over at me.

She had chosen to sit with her fucking half-brother, who she hung out with constantly, over her boyfriend.

I mean, I wasn’t completely sure about our relationship, but that didn’t mean I would be happy with her sitting with Eren fucking Jaeger every day.

She wasn’t the most caring of people, but was she really so blaze about dating me? Was I nothing to that pretty face? I glared at the table.

Connie noticed, then looked over and spotted the swim team as well.   
“Is that Mikasa? Why’s she sitting with Eren? She’s your girlfriend.” I rolled my eyes at him.  
“Wow Connie, how perceptive,” I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. Connie raised his hands in defence,  
“I’m just saying…” I scoffed, then looked back over at Mikasa, just as she was sweeping Eren’s hair back from him face. I growled, catching the attention of Reiner and Bertl. Reiner mumbled “That’s a bitch…” Bertl glared at his boyfriend, then tried to make me feel better,  
“I don’t think it’s so bad she’s not sitting over here, I mean, you haven’t been dating for long, she might feel uncomfortable around us. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you…” I huffed,  
“Yeah, right. Cause the almighty Mikasa feels uncomfortable around a bunch loser guys.”  
“Hey!” Connie gasped.

We let the matter go after a while, or rather, the others let it go while I sulked and stared at Mikasa. She was really hot, and quite nice, but I was seriously starting to question my relationship status. This shit was starting to feel like one of those primary school affairs when you never talked or touched your girlfriend, and the most you did together was text.

I don’t know when, but at some point during my personal conflict, my gaze shifted to Marco Bodt. I don’t know for how long, or why, but I found myself just watching the freckled boy.

Watching the way his cheeks slightly dimpled whenever he smiled, the way his shoulders rounded and shook whenever he laughed, the way he had to constantly brush this one strand of black hair back into place, the way his bright, chocolate brown eyes sparkled in the artificial light of the food hall as his gaze met mine-

He caught me staring, what do I do?

God, this would look so gay. Shit, I couldn’t let this idiot think I was coming onto him.

Wait, why was I over reacting so much? Seriously, no one would automatically jump to the conclusion that you were gay if you were caught staring at the same sex. And besides, you’re not gay so why would you care. Calm down Jean. You stare at Eren all the time cause you hate him so much. That’s just what you do, you make fun of them in your mind while you stare at them.

So that’s what you were doing. Marco was just some stupid, speedo wearing pushover who you don’t give two shits about. You were subconsciously thinking about how much of a pussy he was.

That’s what you were doing.

Marco gave a questioning frown.

I gave him my best death stare in return. Marco went rigid, then turned away quickly.

I didn’t look at him after that.

I didn’t give a damn about Marco Bodt.

He was already gone from my mind.

Yes.

Gone.

****

I lay in my dorm bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun round and round.  Tomorrow was my last day of freedom, then it was homework and classes and assignments; the only positive thing was basketball practice would start up again.

I would be helping to trial new players this year. I’d have to work with Coach Levi to test new players and see which team fit them best, or if they should just not play basketball.

I was not looking forward to it. I sucked at people. I was bound to make someone cry with a badly thought out comment.

Oh well. The only people I cared about were the ones on my team, and my team was already set in stone. You couldn’t break a dream team like us up. Connie, Reiner, Bertolt, Petra and I would all be playing together again. That was good. I played best with those who I was familiar with, and I needed to be top of my game this year.

I was going to be scouted.

I was going to play professionaly next year.

But our team was going to need subs. It was risky just having the raw 5 members needed for a basketball team. If one of us were injured or sick, then we’d have to play a player down, and that would NOT be good.

As I thought about the logistics of the team, and about who had potential, and who just wouldn’t make it in basketball, my eyes started to slowly droop shut. My thoughts began to stray on the edge of sleep, back to my home, my ever absent but ever caring parents, my past years at Sina, what my future held…

I sunk into the darkness of sleep.

 

****

 

I smelt coffee.

Coooooffeeeeee…..

I jolted awake. I needed some coffee.

Slowly rolling out of bed, I pulled a t-shirt over my bare chest. I thought of shoving on some jeans, but opted instead to just stay in my boxers. I shuffled, zombie-like out of my dark cave, bright daylight slamming into me like a literal wall.

The thought of coffee was the only thing that kept me going.

I heard the muffled voice of Connie, but my sleep-muddled and caffeine deprived brain refused to register his words. I stumbled up to the small bench behind the couch. There was already a kettle plugged in, filled with boiling water, and a container of instant coffee next to it.

I grabbed a mug, dumped a teaspoon of coffee grains in it, paused, put in another teaspoon and a half, then poured in the hot water. The scent of heaven engulfed my nose, I already felt more awake. Spooning in two lots of sugar, I took a long sip, ignoring the scalding sensation in my mouth.

Pure ambrosia.

Now human once more, I turned to Connie, muttering a quick ‘mornin’. Connie gave me an odd look,   
“Back to the land of the living? God, I’d forgotten how you get in the morning.” I gave a snort in reply, then took another sip of coffee.

Connie was reading a notice with the school emblem on the other side. He nodded to it,  
“This was just slipped under the door, says there’s a year 12 assembly this evening before dinner, you know, for timetables and shit.” I nodded, reluctantly accepting the inevitable half-hour speech from Principal Pixis about integrity and how ‘we all must work together for a better, brighter future’.

“Ready for breakfast?” Connie asked. I drained my cup as a reply, then went to put on some pants. Stomachs growling, we made our way to the dining hall.

****

I spent my last day of freedom hanging out with the team, playing video games and awkwardly trying to act ‘boyfriendy’ to Mikasa.

The day flew by, and the next thing I knew, I was crammed into the assembly hall with hundreds of other students, waiting for the first meeting of the school year. I squirmed around, trying to find a more comfortable position. My butt was already starting to ache from the cold, hard floor.

You’d think that such a renowned school would be able to give chairs to students at assembly.

Principal Pixis strode onto stage, his bald head gleaming and grey moustache combed. He wore his usual suit with his army badges pinned proudly over his heart.

The sound of his phlegmy throat clearing filled the hall as he coughed into the microphone. Not one of the students payed him any attention as they were all caught up in their own conversations. Pixis took a deep breath, and I immediately covered my ears, knowing what was about to come.

**“ATTENTION!”**

Principal Pixis’s yell shut everyone up mid-word. The microphone rung from the overload of sound.

Jeez, this guy treated us like the army or something...

“This begins the start of a new school year at Sina Academy.” Pixis looked out over the students, then continued.

“This is it. Your final year. You have faced many hardships, and forged through them all; now comes your final challenge. Each and every one of you are talented and strong, and I have full confidence that you will all complete this challenge.”

He paced into the middle of the stage, and stood in a proud army stance, legs apart, hands behind his back, chest forward and chin up. He then continued to go on and on about a bunch of shit I didn’t care about.

Yeah, yeah… academics… behaviour… homework… assignments… respect… teachers… come on! Just get to the sport already!

“Ahem. Now, as you all know, this year is a big year for the athletes of Sina. This year is the 20th  Youth Olympics. A country-wide event for any and every sport. And it will be held here, at Sina Academy, for the first time in our history. It is a big honour.”

Excited whispers swept through the hall. I grinned from ear to ear. This was massive. The Youth Olympics was a huge event, one that sport scouts often attended to find the best new and promising athletes. It was the first time I had ever had the chance to enter, and it was also my last. If my team could win the Youth Olympics Basketball Tournament, then we’d all be almost guaranteed a contract for a professional team.

The teachers hushed down the crowd, although most of them, mainly Professor Hanji, looked just as excited as all the students.

Pixis continued after a brief pause.

“I’m sure all of you will work hard to make Sina Academy proud in this momentous event. Now, in other sporting announcements, I’ve been asked to remind you that the annual Athlete’s Welcome Ball is coming up next Saturday. It is a fantastic event, that I myself love, and I hope those of you that are part of any sporting clubs will buy tickets. Remember, all the proceeds go towards buying new facilities and equipment for our sport…”

He continued to speak but I heeded him no notice. I was so pumped for the Youth Olympics. I could almost see that gigantic trophy, that gold medal, that contractor handing me the papers to officially sign my way into professional basketball…

I gave a smirk, this was my chance to beat Jaeger.

Just because we were in different sports, didn’t mean I couldn’t whoop his arse. If my team got a place in the finals, and he didn’t, well screw what sport we did, I would have the ultimate bragging rights.

We were handed our timetables, and dismissed to dinner.

The team spent all of our meal discussing the Olympics excitedly. We were briefly visited by Coach Levi, telling us that trials would be held on Wednesday afternoon at the basketball courts, and that he expected us all to be there. He promptly told us that we all needed a good workout and a bath, then left.

I checked my time table. Tomorrow I had English first up with Professor Nanaba, then Maths with Professor Oluo, then Science with Professor Hanji and finally my elective, which was Theatrical Drama with Coach Levi. They all seemed like pretty decent lessons, except for Maths; Professor Oluo was a bit of a pompous weirdo.

I leaned back and closed my eyes, listening to the clatter of cutlery as everyone enjoyed their meals.

I might be a pessimist, but if I did well this year, then I could go far. Very far. I couldn’t deny my talent.

I grinned. This year, I was going to kick ass.

I just needed to get my shit together and not screw up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the second chapter done :) Once again, thanks to my BETA, freckledjeankirschtein.  
> That chapter was 3431 word :) Whew!
> 
> Next chapter you're up for school lessons, some closer Marco encounters, and the spark of a friendship :) Also more relationship problems and some hilarious Levi and Drama scenes ^_^ 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeanmarco compare music, and have a veeeery interesting Drama class.  
> Levi wears tight pants.  
> Enjoy.

“Hey, dude, you should get up.”

“Mpphhhmmm…”

“Come on Jean, up and at ‘em”

“Fuuuckfffff…”

“Seriously man, you’re gonna be late.”

“Ahdontgiverfuck…”

“Tch, whatever, don’t blame me if you…”

The irritating voice faded out as I fell back asleep.

****

SHIT!

How long ago did Connie try to wake me up?

Panicked energy jolted through me as I leaped up to grab my phone.

7:45am.

FUCK! Lessons started at 8, I only had 15 minutes.

I ran madly to my cupboard to find something to wear. I let out a zombie-like groan as I realized I still hadn’t unpacked my stuff. I started ripping open random suitcases, searching frantically for some clothes. I finally found an old pair of worn denim jeans and a black skull shirt. I shoved on the outfit in a mad rush, accidentally putting on the jeans backwards, costing me precious time as I had to squeeze them on again the right way round. I didn’t bother to style my bed head, I could pass it off as a ‘rugged bad boy’ look.

Stumbling into the lounge room, I spotted a note left by Connie:

_C u later,_

_Going to breakfast._

_Made you coffee._

I threw down the note. I had definitely missed breakfast, I would’ve had to have been up 3 quarters of an hour earlier to make it. I picked up the mug of coffee Connie had made; it was ice cold. I let out an inhuman gurgling noise.

I grabbed my backpack, stuffing my books for the day inside, then ran out the door.

****

I made it to class just in time, thank god. It was 7:58, and Professor Nanaba was yet to arrive. My limbs felt like lead now that my panicked adrenaline was gone, and I had a killer headache from lack of sleep, food and coffee; my body’s three essential items.

Everyone was mulling around outside the classroom, chatting casually, letting out the occasional yawn; everyone was slow to start up on the first day of lessons. Scanning the student’s faces, I couldn’t recognise anybody familiar. I grabbed out my iPod, plugging in my headphones, then started blasting ‘American Psycho’ by Fall Out Boy to try and wake me up.

I didn’t notice him until he was right in front of my face, the ever-smiling Marco. He wore a blue, green and black checked button-up with black jeans. His hair was styled with his trade-mark part.

His mouth moved as he said something. I raised an eyebrow, then placed my headphones around my neck. You could still hear the music clearly. Marco repeated himself, “Hi Jean! You’re in this class?” I internally groaned. Marco Bodt was in my English class? I tried not to look too pissed off and gave a forced smile.

Well, it seemed that his taste in music wasn’t as perfect as I had thought. I raised an eyebrow.

“Taylor Swift? Dude, seriously?” Marco’s face fell slightly, but then he let out a little laugh. It sounded like a masculine Tinkerbell, but, I kinda liked it. His laugh just seemed so… genuine.

Marco rubbed the back of his neck, his black hair falling in his face. “Wow. I, er, didn’t think you were into that sort of music?” I gave a smirk,   
“What, you think I’d be into the lame-ass pop shit everyone listens to now days?” Marco grinned. He suddenly bent over and clutched his back, changing his voice to match that of an old man’s. His impersonation was spot-on.   
“Young wipper-schnappers and there electronic hippie crap!” I couldn’t help but laugh at Marco’s act.

Scrunching up my nose, I sighed, “It is shit though.” Marco straightened up and shifted his bag around on his shoulders,   
“I dunno… some of it’s pretty good.”

I scoffed.

While we waited for Professor Nanaba to arrive, Marco and I chatted about our favourite songs and bands. I still thought he was a bit too happy-go-lucky, but I had to admit, Marco Bodt wasn’t half that bad.

Our teacher finally arrived, and we all piled into the classroom. I felt Marco place a hand on my shoulder, “H-hey. I, ah, um… can I sit with you? I don’t know anyone else, so…” I had an internal argument.

On one hand, I’d love for Marco to sit with me. He was annoying, sure, but he was also quite nice and not as lame as I thought. On the other hand, however, I dreaded him sitting next to me. That would mean I would have to talk to him, and I hated people unless they were on my basketball team.

I ran a hand through my hair. I would just say no, tell him I don’t want to sit with anyone, then avoid him for the rest of the year. It was that simple. I opened my mouth to reject him,  
“Yeah, sure. Not like I have anyone else to sit with.”

Shit!

Marco looked relieved. I mentally kicked myself.

****

It turned out that sitting with Marco wasn’t as hellish as I had first thought. He seemed pretty academic, and so we hardly talked during class. At one point, we compared time tables. Apparently, we were in the same Drama class with Coach Levi.

I didn’t know whether to be happy or annoyed.

After English, we walked to the food hall together for morning tea. A few comments about class were exchanged, but overall, we didn’t talk much.

We parted ways at the cafeteria, piling up our plates with food, then heading towards our separate tables.

Marco smiled and waved goodbye, saying he’ll see me in Drama. I gave him a small smile, then went to sit down with Connie, Reiner, Bertl and Annie.

I caught Jaeger’s dirty look from across the hall.

Fucking Jerk.

****

Drama finally came.

I mean, it wasn’t like I was just looking forward to Drama because of Marco. I did actually really liked acting.

Yeah. I couldn’t care less if Marco was in the same class as me.

Marco was already in the Drama room. I was about to say hi, when I realized that he was already talking, his back turned to me. I could see his dramatic hand gestures and could hear his deep, clear voice quoting Shakespeare, without a single stutter. Ymir and Krista listened avidly. Huh, I didn’t know they were in this class.

Marco’s monologue was: wow.

I had always cast off Shakespeare, it was boring and lame. But for some reason, hearing Marco speak this passage so perfectly made me light up just a little. I had no freaking clue what the words meant, but Marco’s speech was so flawless, it didn’t matter.

“’Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name; and for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself.”

Ymir raised an eyebrow and let out an impressed whistle. Krista grinned, nudging her girlfriend, “See Ymir? I told you he could do it!” Ymir swung an arm around Krista’s shoulders, “I have to say, I did not expect that. I mean, I always knew you were a nerd, but dude, I never knew you were THIS much of a nerd.” Marco let out a small chuckle.

I cleared my throat to get his attention. Marco turned around, his face red from embarrassment. “O-oh, h-hi Jean! Oh god… you didn’t just hear that, did you?” I smirked at his discomfort. I did my best to imitate Marco’s voice,   
“Oh, Romeo! Romeo! Where art thou lay? Oh, Romeo, you fuckboy, let me love you!”

Marco visibly cringed at my words, “I think Shakespeare just turned in his grave…” I laughed,   
“Nah man, that was awesome. Seriously, how did you memorize all of Romeo and Juliet?! I didn’t even read that book when we got it for English!” Marco smiled,   
“Well, I haven’t memorized the whole play, just different passages… I’ve always loved Shakespeare.” It was my turn to cringe,   
“Dude, that’s so gay.”

Oh no.

The slur was just so commonly used, I hardly even registered what I’d said. I was standing in front of Ymir and Krista; two hard-core gay rights activists and an openly lesbian couple. I could just feel Ymir’s glare burning through my skull.

“Oh of course. Here’s Jean ‘no homo’ Kirschtein everybody. Who apparently believes that liking world renowned literature is gay.”

Ymir was right in my face. I retaliated with a scowl,   
“What’s that supposed to mean!? Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it, but I am not a homophobe!” Ymir snorted,   
“Oh yeah?! Doesn’t seem that way to me!”

Marco held up his hands as a sign of peace, “H-hey guys, just, calm down alright? Ymir, I’m sure Jean didn’t mean it…”

Ymir ignored him, “Marco, you don’t know this guy; he’s a homophobic, whiny, snobby little dick.” I pushed Ymir away from me. She was stepping over the line. How dare she? Just cause she was in Eren’s stupid swim team, she thought she had the right to wreck my friendship with Marco.   
“Bitch! I didn’t mean to say it alright! And don’t you DARE call me homophobic! In case you haven’t noticed, two of my best friends are gay!” Ymir opened her mouth to argue back, when Coach Levi strode into the Drama room.

We immediately shut up.

The short, raven-haired teacher swept into the room like a shadow; a fucking terrifying shadow. His glare was as black as his soul.

“Sit.”

Everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and sat were they had been standing, not a single word was uttered. I resisted the urge to punch Ymir, and plonked myself down next to Marco. Ymir gave me a killer death stare then seated herself next to Krista.

“Alright brats, listen up.” I thought the school code restricted teachers from speaking like that to students, but the school code didn’t really apply to Coach Levi.

“Now, I’m sure most of you punks chose Drama so you could just slack off and scratch your arses. Well, let’s make this clear; this is not a bludge subject, and I can assure you, if I see one hand reach for your behind, then you will be scrubbing floors until your fingers bleed.” He surveyed the fresh batch of torture subjects. His gaze lingered on me, and I sat up, rigid as a board.

“So, a few ground rules. First of all, Hygiene. I know this is a word that you pigs have probably never learnt, but I will make sure that you can quote its definition word by word. You will shower, wash your hands, brush your hair, wash your clothes, change your underwear and socks and brush your teeth every day, or you will suffer the consequences. Secondly, Drama is not a game, it is not easy, it is not an excuse to act like a shit-brained idiot. It is an art form, and you will treat it as such. We will not be playing any silly little games, this is not kindergarten whether you like it or not. And lastly, if you dare speak out of turn, I will make you rue the existence of your pathetic little lives.”

For someone so small, Levi was fucking terrifying. But it was a little hard to take him seriously when he was wearing tight, black leggings and was carrying a Grumpy Cat mug that said ‘NO’.

The Coach had us stretch, then walk around the room with completely blank faces, following different commands.

“Drop.”

“Onto your toes.”

“Walk in circles.”

“Walk backwards.”

“Jump.”

“Find a partner and copy their exact movements.”

I walked briskly over to Marco. Without a word, we started moving in unison. We kept our faces blank, and made intricate body movements at the exact same speed and levels. Marco suddenly stepped closer to me and whispered, “Levi’s a bit… well…”,   
“Demonic? Murderous?” I suggested. The corners of Marco’s mouth twitched as he held back a smile. He thought for a moment, then said,   
“Like a fabulous yet terrifying elf?”

I couldn’t help it. It was too much. The laughter was out before I could stop it. My face turned red and my eyes leaked tears as I doubled over laughing. Marco began to chuckle along with me, when something very small and deadly came up behind us.

Oh fuck, we were dead.

****

Surprisingly, the punishment wasn’t as harsh as I had expected. Levi had simply smacked Marco and I upside the head, then gave us a script and ordered us to have it prepared to perform perfectly by the end of the lesson. It wasn’t so bad…

Chills ran down my spine as I read the title to the script, “Shackled By Love, Act V, Scene iii.”

Oh no. I frantically flicked through the dialog. Oh god, it had all the signs; clichéd dialog, overdramatic screams, sappy monologues…

We had to perform a love-tragedy.

Marco’s eyes widened as he stared down at the play. “We could just… refuse to do it and, you know, face detention…” I shook my head frantically,   
“Oh no. No no no no no. Trust me, you do not want one of Coach Levi’s detentions. I’ve only had one, but when it was over, I came out a changed man.” I shuddered at the thought. Marco paled,   
“Well, surely it couldn’t be as bad as-“ I looked him dead in the eye,   
“No. Seriously, this is better.”

Marco looked down nervously at the script. He swallowed hard, mentally preparing himself for the horror we were about to be subjected to.

“Alright, who’s going to be the girl?

****

“Get up here brats, it’s time to see your little performance.”

Marco and I exchanged mortified glances. “Is it just me, or is Levi smiling slightly?” I whispered. The Coach’s mouth was pulled up at the corners ever so slightly.

The sadistic asshole was actually enjoying this.

We shuffled up to the front of the class. Ymir was trying her best to stifle her laughter, and Krista’s cheeks were red from trying to stay straight-faced.

I gulped, “You ready?” Marco gave a grave nod and placed a blonde wig on his head, then the show began.

Marco gave a high-pitched gasp, then fell to the ground, clutching his chest. I put on my best concerned-but-fierce expression. I leaped forwards to Marco’s collapsed form, “Oh Beatrice!” Marco fluttered his eyelids at me as I gently caressed his head in my hands. He reached up to stroke my face,   
“F-Fredrick…” It was hard not to laugh at his attempt at a girly voice, but I managed to hold it back. I was a handsome young man named Fredrick, who had had an arranged marriage with Beatrice the Governess. Despite the forced circumstances, the two had fallen in love. However, now Beatrice had just been shot, and the two lovers were exchanging their final words. I didn’t think that Freddie would laugh in that situation.

“Oh Beatrice! My one and only! Though we did chose our path of love, my heart now yearns for yours! But here you lie, on the brink of death, in the arms of the one who could not save you! BEATRICE! OH BEATRICE! WHY?! WHY YOU?!” I began to sob, holding my ‘loved one’ close to my chest.

Marco let off another faint gasp, “Oh, Jea-I mean-Fredrick, why must it end like this? I love you like no other. The shackles of our love are finally breaking… but… I- I do not want them to shatter!”

I masked my laughter and embarrassment with a fit of ugly crying. “MY LOVE! Do not leave me! Oh fates above! Mend my love’s wound!” Marco stroked my cheek, his eyes wide and glistening as he looked lovingly into mine.   
“F-Fredrick, alas, this is a wound that c-cannot mend. I beg of you, do not despair, I-I will always be with you…” He placed a hand on my heart, “I-in here…”

I traced my thumb along his cheekbone. His bright blonde wig was falling in his eyes, and I could see him stifling laughter.

“I love you, Beatrice.”

“I-I love you too, Fredrick.”

This was it. The final moment. The final scene in the play was the epic and passionate kiss between the two lovers. Well of course, there was no way in hell I was going to snog Marco, so we had devised a plan.

I was carrying a top hat as a prop. When Fredrick leant down to kiss Beatrice, I would bring up the hat, and cover our faces, to give the impression of a kiss. It wasn’t very good, but it was better than actually following the script.

I felt my cheeks flame up as I slowly began to lean down towards Marco. In the rush of the moment, I tried to bring up the hat too quickly. Combined with the slippery floor, and my awkward position, I fell. Right on top of Marco.

My stomach plummeted in horror as I felt the heat of his skin against mine, and, with wide eyes, our lips touched.

The crowd erupted in applause.

Oh fucking god kill me now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The 3rd Chapter is up! Sorry it took so long, assignments are so uuuuuggggghhhh....  
> I'll try and update sooner! :)  
> This chapter was 3191 words!  
> I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm going to draw fan art for Levi in black tights with a grumpy cat mug. XD


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two gay dorks in the rain.

I’d like to say I died with dignity. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Darkness was my only friend as I curled up in a heated ball of embarrassment. Connie wasn’t being exactly helpful, rolling around on the floor in a fit of laughter as I groaned to myself in my little cave that was an oversized sweater.

While trying desperately to breathe, Connie managed to gasp out, “Oh god, man. That is just- Sucks to be you!” I gave him the finger, then let out another groan.

My life was over.

Was this really the legacy I was leaving behind?

Seriously, I tried to make a friend, and I just ended up pashing him in front of my Drama class.

I kissed a fucking guy. I would never live it down.

I knew that by now Ymir, being the bitch she was, would’ve spread the word to fucking Jaeger. I was destined for an entire year of non-stop gay jokes.

After the surprise kiss, Marco had just turned beet-red, then clamped his hand over his mouth and sat up, staring at the wall in horror. I had just scrambled off of him, letting loose a stream of swears. My face was probably even redder than Marco’s. Ymir had wolf whistled, then clapped me on the back and said, “My gay-senses are tingling.” The entire class was losing it, some had even videoed the performance and were probably posting it on Facebook. I had sent a text to Mikasa, warning her that she would soon be hearing that I was gay, and that that was most definitely NOT true and I loved her and shit. Then I ran off to my dorm, not even checking on Marco, and practically jumped into my gigantic black sweater that had ‘This is way too big for me’ printed across the front, with a little skull and crossbones.

When Connie came back, he found me transformed into a sweater-turtle on the coach. When he found out about my little incident, all he could do was laugh. Dick head.

“So, you-you ACTUALLY kissed him? Like, on the lips? Holy shit man…” Connie erupted into another fit of giggles. I chucked a pillow at him.

“Well, I technically didn’t kiss him! I just fell on top of him and then we just kind of-” Queue another groan.

Connie shoved my shoulder, “Come on man, it was just a kiss. Chill. I’m sure everyone will just forget about-“ I glared at him over the top of the sweater’s collar. Connie gave a guilty grin.

I submerged back into my personal embarrassment-bunker.

 

****

I woke up the next morning at 6:00am.

This was a rare and amazing event, considering my usual sleep patterns. But honestly, I hardly got any sleep that night. I just stayed up freaking out about how people would respond to the kissing incident the next day; and Marco! Shit! How was Marco going to react when he saw me?! Surly he would never want to see my face again. I mean, it wasn’t like I was desperate for his friendship and everything, but I did enjoy hanging out with him, even if he was a bit too goody-goody. And besides, he was the only person I knew in most of my classes.

I got dressed into a simple hoodie and jeans, then made myself a cup of coffee and looked over my time table for the day. I had History with Professor Erwin up first.

It was 7:00 by the time I headed down for breakfast with Connie. As we walked into the hall, hundreds of faces turned to stare at me. I gulped down my fear and went up to the cafeteria to grab a plate of toast. As I was heading over the table Reiner and Bertl had saved for Connie and I, I caught a glimpse of Marco walking among the tables. My jaw clenched in worry as Marco’s eyes fluttered up to meet mine. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Here comes the scowl, here comes the disgusted look, here comes the rejection.

He smiled.

Marco just gave me a small grin, then turned away and went to join the swim team at their table. I froze. I couldn’t help the warm glow that spread through me. Marco didn’t hate me. He wasn’t embarrassed to acknowledge me. He just acted like nothing was wrong.

Thank god.

I had three classes today with Marco. We didn’t bring up the Drama lesson the whole time. Instead, we just got to know each other better. Marco was apparently from a very sporting family in Trost. He said that his parents were ex-Olympic swimmers, and that’s why he had joined the swim team here. It was one of the main reasons he came to Trost. I told him about my parents, and how they both ran two high-end businesses and were very highly regarded. Surprisingly, Marco didn’t make a single comment about my family being rich, or my parents being away all the time. He just smiled and nodded, treating me like a normal human being, not some pompous rich snob. I began to wonder if Marco had a single bad bone in his body. This guy was like a freckled Jesus.

By the end of the day, Marco and I were significantly closer; we even exchanged numbers. I was beginning to think that I could actually become good friends with this guy. The only problem was that he was on Jaeger’s swim team, and Eren was particularly keen on me befriending a member of his club.

When the day ended, I was significantly happier than I had been that morning.

Marco was a pretty cool guy.

****

The next morning at breakfast, Levi approached our table and reminded the team that Basketball trials would be held that afternoon. Being the captain of the club, I was charged with helping Levi decide who made it into a team, and who didn’t. We would also be trialling old players, to see if they were still playing in the right team and division.

I was so pumped for this season, what with the Youth Olympics. I knew my team could make it; we were going to win gold.

****

The clouds rumbled dark and ominous in the sky above the courts as I sat, bored as hell, at a table with Coach Levi. An intense game of basketball played out before us as we assessed each individual player and decided what position and team they would be in for the season.

I judged the player on their ball skills, speed, strength, team work and attitude. The younger kids were nervous and made plenty of mistakes, but there were still a few decent players in the group.

The members of my team leaned against the fence that outlined the courts. It was pretty much guaranteed that we would play together again this year, so we were pretty chilled.

A game of tennis was unfolding on the court next to us. I recognized the girlish-looking Armin in his white tennis clothes versing a petite girl, the ball bouncing back and forth between their rackets. A heavy-built boy with short-cropped hair was cheering for the girl on the sidelines, yelling out, “Go Hannah! That’s right, just put a bit more force behind your serve! Go baby! You’re doing well!” I winced at his booming voice. It was so annoying that we had to share a court with the tennis players as well as the volleyballers, the netballers and the badminton players. I had been meaning to ask Levi about considering building our own indoor court in the old dorm building on the edge of the sport fields. It had been unused for ages, and I reckoned it would make an awesome indoor basketball centre.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I almost didn’t notice the rusty-haired girl that bounded up to the table. She was out of breath and looked slightly crazed – probably from downing too many energy drinks. I instantly recognized her as Sasha Braus.

“Uh, hi? What’s up?” I questioned, wondering why she would have come down here. She really wasn’t very sporty. I mean, she was fit, but she was more into cooking and art. She looked a little nervous as she stuttered.

“W-well, I’m actually here to trial for one of the basketball teams… I hope I’m not too late!” I raised an eyebrow at her, and Levi scowled.

“Trials started at 3:15. Go away.” Sasha gaped for words, looking hurt. I heard Connie running up to the table. He’d obviously been drawn by his crush’s presence. Seriously, he seemed to know where Sasha was no matter what; it was kinda creepy.

I narrowed my eyes at Sasha as her cheeks flamed red and she skittered away from Connie, eyes darting around as if looking for a way to escape. Connie, being the ladies man he was, tripped over his own feet then stumbled into the table. Clutching his side and wincing, he winked at Sasha and said, “What’s a fine girl like you doing in a place like this?” To my surprise Sasha actually chuckled, then retorted with.

“Mad skills you got there.” Connie flashed his supposed ‘lady-killer’ smile, and replied by slicking back his non-existent hair and saying, “Baby, I’m graceful as a swan.”

Sasha’s reaction confused me. Normally she’d just roll her eyes and ignore Connie’s sad attempts at flirting. But today, she actually seemed…attracted. Connie straightened himself up, “So Sasha, why’re you down here with us basketball freaks?” He did a fake stretch, flexing his muscles and showing off his biceps. Once again, Sasha blushed.

“Well, I’m actually here to try out… but…” Connie actually seemed surprised, and asked earnestly.

“What? Why?” I winced at his brash tone.

Sasha looked incredibly embarrassed and just shrugged, “It seems fun, is all…” She glanced at Connie quickly, her cheeks still red.

Then it dawned on me. Sasha actually liked Connie.

The discovery left me shocked. Sasha had never shown any interest in him. But as I thought about it, it all made sense; why Sasha always seemed to be in the same place as Connie, why she didn’t ever slap him or tell him to shut up, why she never just walked away from him when he was trying to flirt with her. Sasha liked Connie.

Oh my god, I was so going to get them together. Call me Jean the match-maker.

Levi was glaring at Sasha. “Look brat, you were late to trials. You can’t play, no excuses.” Sasha actually looked extremely hurt. Now that I knew the only reason she was trying out for a basketball team was because Connie was in the club, I felt like I needed to let her trial. If I was going to get them together, I was going to have to convince Levi to let her play.

“Um, Coach?” Levi raised an eyebrow at me.

“What?”

“I think we should let Sasha trial.” Levi’s eyebrow flew even higher. Connie immediately lit up.

“Yeah! Come on Coach! Sasha will be great!” Queue Levi’s death glare. Connie gave him a pleading look, even going so far as to clamp his hands in a prayer. Levi would not give. I tried to reason with him.

“We could just slip her in next quarter, and judge her then.” Levi finally sighed and gave in. Connie punched the air and swung an arm around Sasha’s shoulders. I noticed her slight hesitation before she shoved him away. I had to suppress my smirk.

I blew the whistle to signal the end of the quarter, then appointed Sasha to Centre.

****

Holy crap. She was awful.

Sasha stumbled around the court, slamming into her teammates and constantly missing the ball. 10 minutes in, and she looked like a drunken giraffe trying to complete complicated heart surgery. Every time she bounced the ball, she somehow managed to hit herself in the face and hand the ball to the opposition. She tripped over constantly, and only seemed to be able to move at walking pace. Long story short, she was absolute shit.

I sensed Connie’s anguish as he cheered her on, trying desperately to find something to compliment her about. Levi rolled his eyes and marked a big X next to Sasha’s name. I gulped. There was no way I could get her onto the team. I would have to find a way to get Connie and her together some other time.

At the end of the match, Sasha came off panting. She came up to us and asked, “So, how did I go?” Levi let out an audible groan, and I tried to avoid eye contact. Connie began to babble about how amazing she was and how he was sure she’d get on the team, but Sasha wasn’t buying it. Looking extremely run down, she slowly began to shuffle away back up to the main school buildings. Connie went to accompany her, consoling her with over-the-top praise, but I could tell she was annoyed.

I shook my head and made my final decision on players, then handed my marking sheet to Levi. We talked quickly to the players, informing them that the new teams would be posted on the food court notice board next Monday. I was chatting with Reiner, Bertolt and Petra when a massive clap of thunder rumbled across the slate-coloured sky. The rest of my team hurried back up to the dorms, quickly trying to outrun the rain. I stayed behind to finish packing up the courts, then began to jog back to the main school yard.

An icy cold droplet of rain spat onto my shoulder. Followed by another, then another. I cursed as I realized I wouldn’t make it undercover before it started pouring. As the rain got heavier and heavier, I made a desperate dash for the closest bit of shelter I could find; the entrance to the swimming pool. Shivering from the sudden chill, I hunched my shoulders and crossed my arms grumpily, water dripping from my hair. I glared out at the rain, the school blurred by millions of droplets plummeted to earth.

The entrance to the pool was a simple concrete structure, made up of a small counter with a cash register and a fridge filled with drinks, ice cream and chocolate behind it, and a small walkway through to the pool. As I leaned against the cold, hard wall, I noticed the swimsuit-clad figures of Jaeger’s swim team training in the pool. By the looks of things, it was close to freezing in there.

I craned my neck and narrowed my eyes to try and see through the rain. I spotted Jaeger, his dark hair plastered to his face as he prepared to dive in. I saw Ymir doing laps of backstroke, racing Thomas. Mina and Samuel were completing drills set for them by Coach Erwin. Scanning the pool, I finally spotted Marco. He was preparing for a sprint, crouched ready on the diving block. I watched in amazement as he leaped forward.

His form was perfect. His arms and hands were held tightly together, just above his ears. His back was slightly curved, imitating the sleekness and grace of a dolphin leaping through a wave. His legs were pressed together, muscles loosening from the jump. Altogether, his body formed a streamline arrow that sliced through the water as though it were speeding through the air. He was submerged for a few seconds, his form never failing. He kept his feet together as he moved them up and down and up and down. The lower half of his body may as well have been a tail. Then he burst up from the water, arms spread like wings. He almost lifted his entire upper-half out of the water as he moved his arms in graceful curves around his body, pulling himself forward with ease.

He continued his butterfly stroke for a full two laps of the pool. The 100 metre sprint was over in no-time, and soon Marco was pulling himself from the pool and shaking the water from his hair.

I took the chance to get his attention with a shout and a wave. He waved back, then began to make his way over to me. Unfortunately, Eren also saw me.

Strutting up to me with his usual high-and-mighty attitude, Eren sneered at me like he was physically sickened by my presence. I directed his sneer right back at him. “What the hell are you doing here Kirschtein?” Eren crossed his arms and glared. I rolled my eyes and made an over-the-top gesture towards the pouring rain.

“What do you think, dumbass?” Eren scoffed.

“Ha, can’t handle a little rain? You wimp.” I scrunched up my nose slightly in annoyance.

“Why the hell would I want to get drenched. Seriously fucktard, I’m just standing here, what do you want?”

“I want you to fuck off and stop interrupting my training sessions.”

“Look idiot, I’m not doing anything. Just piss off and get back to your stupid drills.”

Eren opened his mouth to retort when Marco stepped between us.

“Hey guys, just calm down alright?” Eren scoffed the turned away.

“Whatever Marco, trainings finished, see you tomorrow.” I restrained from flipping him off as he left, instead I turned to Marco and smiled in greeting. Marco, however, did not return it.

“What’s with you guys? Seriously, whenever you two see each other, it feels like World War 3 is going to start.” Marco wasn’t very good at looking annoyed, but I knew he was fed up with the constant rivalry. He put his hands on his hips, his skin pale from the cold. “And what’s up with the hate between the swimming and basketball clubs? What have you guys got against each other? Why do you hate Eren so much?!” I gritted my teeth.

“It’s a long story.”

Marco didn’t seem pleased with that answer, but gave up trying to interrogate me. I noticed him shivering.

“You must be cold, huh?” Marco nodded, grabbing his bag from a bench and slipping a hoodie over his head. He rummaged through his bag.

“Do you have an umbrella?”

“Nah, I didn’t expect it to rain… I only just came up from Basketball trials.” Marco pulled out a bright blue umbrella.

“Do want me to walk you up to your dorm?”

“Oh, uh, thanks. But, I don’t want you to go out of your way…”

“No, Jean, it’s totally fine!”

“Ok…” Suddenly Marco’s face brightened.

“I know! How ‘bout you come hang in my dorm for a while?”

“Oh, uh…”

“Please! I don’t really hang out with friends very often…” I could see the pleading look in his eyes. His statement caught me by surprise, I didn’t think he thought of me as a friend. It made me slightly guilty for only thinking of him as an acquaintance. But, looking at his smiling, freckled face, turned slightly blue by the umbrella’s reflection, I could help but feel a little warmer. A friend. Yeah, I liked that.

As we walked huddled together under his umbrella, I was slightly confused at how quickly I had accepted his friendship. That never happened. I couldn’t say I was the most trusting or charismatic of people, it was a rare occasion for me to make a friend. But this just felt right. It felt nice.

It was an alien feeling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I actually had this chapter written ages ago, but I haven't had wifi for TWO BLOODY WEEKS!!! Yes, it has been hard, but I have made it through and come out the end as a stronger and slightly more psychotic. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adorable, you will smile.

I shiver ran down my spine as an icy cold droplet of water fell from the edge of the umbrella and slid down my neck. Marco shifted his grip on the handle, so as to give me more shelter from the rain. We didn’t talk as we walked, the rain was too loud to have a proper conversation, we just huddled under the umbrella, moving as quickly as possible. Every now and then, I would see Marco glancing at me from the corner of my eye, when he noticed my looking, he would pull a stupid face and give a soundless laugh.

I didn’t bother to evade puddles, seeing as my shoes were already soaked through. Instead I just tried my best to splash Marco. I managed to spray mud all the way up the side of his leg. It was a bold move, I mean, Marco could be some sort of clean freak and absolutely hate me for splattering him with dirt. But the recent revelation that I had become Marco’s friend boosted my confidence to the level that I wasn’t afraid to start a mud fight.

He looked down at his leg, then back up at me. I couldn’t decipher his expression; was that anger? Hurt? Disgust? A splattering of mud and a cheeky grin answered my question.

This was war.

We forgot the umbrella. Scrambling to find ammunition, we darted away from each other. Facing off old-west style, handfuls of dripping mud poised, I assessed my opponent. He was taller than me, also slightly bulkier; but he was slower. The cold would dull his reflexes, and also he would be tired from swim practice, which gave me an advantage. His eyes flickered up and down my body, no doubt taking in all my strengths and weaknesses. We locked eyes.

His eyebrow twitched slightly, then it started. Shouting an obscene battle cry, I charged.

****

I had him!

His head hopelessly trapped in my headlock, Marco struggled feebly as I prepared for the killing blow. There was no escape. I raised my free hand, Marco’s eyes squeezed shut as he accepted his fate. I was battle scarred and weary, but this was it, my victory.

I slammed down my mud bomb as hard as possible.

Mud dripped down Marco’s freckled face as I viciously rubbed thick mud into his perfectly parted hair. I cackled evilly as looked down at his now brunette head.

Finally releasing my victim, Marco let out a groan and he collapsed to the ground. I smirked triumphantly and turned to pick up my mud soaked jacket from the ground. I jumped as I felt a cold hand clamp around my ankle. I turned in horror to see Marco’s face mirroring my previous triumph.

“For… Humanity…” He whispered, then yanked my foot out from underneath me, sending me face-first into the sloppy ground.

We rolled around on the ground, laughing hysterically. I saw Marco get up slowly, clutching his stomach. He tried to rub a streak of mud from his cheek, only to smear it across his face. He gasped for air, then offered me a hand. I accepted it and stood shakily. The cold had started to set in, and I realized that it probably wasn’t the best idea to have a mud war in freezing rain wearing nothing but loose sports gear.

Shivering violently, we grabbed the umbrella and made a dash for the dorm buildings, all the while laughing.

****

“What?!”

I stood in the entrance of a dorm building. The place was immaculate. The carpet had been vacuumed within an inch of its life, so not a speck of dirt could be found. The entire lobby gave off the scent of Turkish delight and flowers, I couldn’t decide whether to block my nose or take a nice deep sniff. Pots of lush, green plants were dotted around the room, and tasteful paintings lined the walls.

In other words, we were in the girl’s building.

“What?!” I repeated myself, turning to Marco incredulously. Marco gave me a guilty look,  
“Sorry, I should have told you…”  
“You live in the GIRLS dorm?! Dude, what?” Marco rubbed the back of his neck, wincing slightly when some mud splattered on the flawless carpet.  
“Well, there was a mistake with my forms, they mixed up my Mum’s name with mine, and did something wrong in filing, so… yeah. This happened.”

I gaped at him, “How do you live? Why don’t you ask for a transfer?” Marco shrugged, scrunching up his nose slightly,  
“It’s really not that bad, I mean, the girls I share a room with are nice. And I don’t spend that much time there, so I don’t mind.” I grinned at him,  
“So, no problem finding a girlfriend right?” To my surprise Marco blushed slightly and refused eye contact. I laughed,  
“Aw, man. You’ve already gotten some action, haven’t you?” I clapped him on the shoulder. Marco’s eyes widened in hilarious horror.  
“Oh, god! No! I mean, they are lovely- I mean. No, I’m not, I’m not really into- I’m not that kind of guy…”  
“Chill dude. Whatever floats your boat. So then, what kind of guy are you?” Marco just mumbled and looked away.

I shrugged and continued walking.

Marco led the way to his dorm on the second floor. He smiled and waved at a few girls, high-fiveing some; he seemed pretty popular with the ladies. But it wasn’t like I was surprised after seeing him in speedos. I-I mean it’s not like I noticed his abs, or his- no, I just mean, h-he would be popular with girls- I- shit. Never mind. Guys can admire other guys, it’s not like I think of him in THAT way, there’s nothing wrong with appreciating a good muscular form.

Marco stopped out the front of door number 10. He turned to me, smiling,  
“I’ve got two roommates, they should be home. Actually, you know them! They’re-“ I pushed passed him, excited to see his dorm.  
“Come on dude, let me see your crib!” I burst into the room, and was confronted with the overwhelming smell of girl’s deodorant and angry 90’s feminist rock music.

There was a lounge and TV complete with Xbox at the end of the wide hall where I stood. I assumed the set up was similar to my room; a bench with a microwave, mini fridge and sink set up behind the couch, and two bedrooms and a bathroom behind the doors lining the hallway. It seemed small compared to my room, although, that was probably because of the catastrophic mess.

Seriously, it was overwhelming.

There were different bras scattered in random places, plates of half-eaten muffins on every flat surface, Magazines and books lay scattered in piles on the floor.

I mean, I thought I was messy, but this? This was some next level shit.

I gaped at Marco in disbelief, I’d just assumed he was a neat freak, judging by his hair and clothes. But, apparently not. He just grinned sheepishly, muttering something like, “The girls were going to clean it up sometime…” I shook my head slowly, chuckling slightly. We’d been here for less than a week, and Marco and his roommates had already made this place look like a bomb site.

A girl walked around the corner. She was tall, freckled and had black hair tied up into a messy bun. She wore nothing but a black bra and short booty shorts, and was holding a ceramic container filled with some sort of chocolaty batter, spooning it into her mouth with a large, wooden spoon. I tensed when I recognized her as Ymir.

“SHE’S your roommate?!” My eyes widened in alarm. Marco gave a small smile,  
“Uh, yeah… I kinda tried to tell you…” Ymir raised an eyebrow,   
“Well well, I didn’t expect you to be bringing your boyfriend home this early in the relationship Marco.” Marco went beet red. I glared at the ground, unable to make eye contact,  
“Shut up… it’s not like that...”

Krista walked up to Ymir looking slightly annoyed. She wore a blue singlet with pink tights, a food-smudged apron and a tacky chef’s hat.   
“Ymir! There’s a reason they’re called microwaved brownies, because you’re meant to microwave them BEFORE you eat them. Oh, hi Marco! And Jean!” Krista gave us an angelic smile, “Ymir and I were just making afternoon tea.”   
“Oh, ah, hey.” I could feel my cheeks burning at the awkwardness. These were the guys that called me a homophobe, then watched me kiss Marco in front of the whole class; what the hell was I meant to say?!

Thank god Marco came to the rescue. He suggested we played Xbox, then dragged me to the couch. Ymir smirked evilly, then smudged some chocolate batter on Krista’s nose and shoved the ceramic bowl into the microwave. There was a lot of giggling with cute and sexual comments as the couple started to wash up. Marco shrugged apologetically, then turned on ‘Call Of Duty’.

The next thing I knew, it was 8 o’clock and my phone had about 100 messages from Connie asking why I wasn’t at dinner. Marco and I had been playing video games non-stop for the entire afternoon. It was really fun, and I was full from the Microwaved Brownies, so we just opted to skip dinner and continued to shoot things.

After a while, it began to feel like we were lifelong friends. It was strange, considering I’d only known Marco for a few days. But both of us just seemed to click. We liked the same games, music, food; his calm and caring nature balanced out my not-so calm and caring nature. It was no surprise really that I suddenly wanted to be best friends with him.

By the time I wandered back to my dorm, it was past curfew. Connie was extremely grumpy when I got there. He insisted it was because I didn’t answer his texts or calls, but I knew he was still bummed that Sasha didn’t make the team. He went straight to bed, but I stayed up a little while, texting back and forth with Marco. I knew I needed to sleep if I was going to be alive tomorrow morning, but I still managed spam him with every single emoji I had, before finally saying goodnight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Once again, sorry for taking so long to upload! I'm so slack... heheheheheh...
> 
> But it's finally up! And I hoped you liked it!


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basketball, fashion advice, partying, karaoke and relationship troubles. What could be better?  
> (I haven't updated for months, so here is an extra long one, 4000 words :P)

I spent the next week becoming best friends with Marco. It’s surprising how quickly you can bond with a person, I mean, I’d only known him for 7 days.

I guess if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

Whenever we had classes together, I would try and talk to him or pass him notes, and he would cover for me if the teacher asked if I was paying attention. On the rare occasion that he actually didn't concentrate in class, we would pull stupid faces and attempt to hold back the laughter that followed. It was fun, and I enjoyed having a friend in almost every class - with such a big school, it was easy to be forgotten in the back of the classroom, never interacting with anyone for the entire year. 

I had quite a few friends, and there was no doubt that I was close to them, but Marco seemed to click with me in a way that was different from all my other friends. We only sat with each other in class, we only really talked over text, and I only knew basic details about Marco's life - yet, I already felt the need to call him one of my best friends.

I was never one to trust someone quickly, but Marco was an exception.

The day after trials, I got a text from Levi saying that the team results would be posted next Monday. I was itching to get playing again. On the other hand, Connie seemed rather un-interested. I knew he was still bummed over Sasha, but I really needed the old, over-enthusiastic Connie back if we were going to have a chance in the Youth Olympics. He was our best power-forward after all.

On Friday afternoon, I went to watch Mikasa at her boxing practice. We had actually planned a date at a café, but her coach had called a last-minute strength training to get his students back in shape after the holidays. So I was stuck for 1 and a half hours in the gymnasium watching my girlfriend beat the shit out of her opponents. I have to admit, it was pretty hot. I still was angry at her for sitting with Eren, but she had started to rotate between groups, and apologized for offending me.

So I guess I didn’t mind.

I was bored out of my mind. Mikasa was destroying a punching bag, and had been doing that for a while. I glanced around, looking for something to do. My eyes rested on a hoop stuck to the gymnasium wall.

I jumped up and grabbed a basketball from the storage room. The basketball hoop was pretty dodgy, but at least it was something to do.

I began to bounce the ball, curving my fingers around the rough surface, applying the perfect amount of pressure to keep up a strong dribble. Grinning, I darted forward, switching the ball from hand to hand, imagining opponents were trying to block me. I felt the muscles in my calves bulge as I bent for a jump. I flew into the air, ball ready to smash into the hoop. I was so close, but just wasn’t high enough to do a full-on dunk. I managed to quickly flick the ball through the goal, landing with a grunt.

Swearing, I started up a dribble again. I seriously needed to improve my jumping power before games started, I would never get noticed by scouts if I couldn’t dunk.

For the next half hour, I practiced all sorts of techniques. By the time Mikasa had finished, I was almost as worn out as she was. She needed to go for a shower, so I kissed her goodbye and began to make my way back to the dorms.

I felt a buzzing in my pocket and took out my phone.

**From: Marco – Hey Jean!**

**Do you want to hang out?**

**To: Marco – sup dude**

**If u want, im at the gym just finished basketball prac**

**From: Marco – Cool! I’ll meet you there!**

I shrugged and went inside to wait.

I was considering doing another round of ball skills when Marco trotted into the Gym, grinning. I walked towards him,  
“Yo, what’s up?” Marco shrugged in an attempt to be cool. I just laughed. “So what did you want to do? We could go to a café or?” Marco seemed to ponder for a bit, before glancing at the basketball hoop stuck to the side of the room,  
“Can you show me some basketball moves?”  
“What?!” I snorted, “Dude, don’t you know about the ancient blood-feud between swimmers and basketballers in this school?” Marco grinned,  
“Aw come on! I just want to see how much better swimming is that basketball!” I punched his shoulder and went to grab a ball.

I spent the next 5 minutes showing him the basics of dribbling and passing, demonstrating while I talked. I was surprised at how concentrated Marco was, he seemed to actually want to learn some basketball. “Why didn’t you try out for the team yesterday if you want to play?” Marco shrugged,  
“Well, I did think about it, I actually love watching basketball, but it’s as you said. I’m in swim team. It’d be too much doing two sports. Also, my parents are _huge_ swimming fanatics, seriously. Dad and Mum were both champions for their age group in High School swimming, so as soon as they discovered that their son had talent, it was goodbye basketball and hello butterfly. I don’t think I had a choice, I had to join the swim team.” He chuckled a bit, but I could see that he was a little frustrated. Of course, I didn’t understand. My parents always let me do what I wanted, it was why I liked them.  
“Well, let’s go see a basketball game sometime, eh bro?” I passed him the ball.

He wasn’t half that bad for someone who didn’t play, and by that I mean he didn’t hit himself in the face with the ball.

But I could see some potential, he certainly had the right build for the sport.

We were kicked out of the gym at 5:00, and so decided to head back to the dorms for dinner. A flyer on one of the many hallway notice boards caught my eye.

**SINA SPORTS WELCOMING PARTY**

**WHERE: SINA GYM**

**WHEN: THIS SUNDAY, 5:00 – 10:00pm**

**_Come show off your dancing and karaoke skills at the_ **

**_Annual welcome party for all students in a sport team!_ **

**_Meet new people, get to know your team!_ **

**_NO ALCOHOL OR ILLEGAL PRODUCTS PERMITTED_ **

**_SINA ACADEMY STUDENTS ONLY_ **

I grinned, this was always fun- even for a party with no alcohol, it was still pretty cool.  
“Hey Marco, you coming to this thing?”  
“Yeah, I guess. Ymir and Krista have been pressuring me all week.”  
“Dude, it’s so worth it, especially if you’re new.”

When we reached the dining hall, we went to our separate tables, as always. No matter how close we were, Marco didn’t want to get on his team’s bad side, and there was no way I was sitting with Eren

I was greeted by Mikasa, who’d decided to sit with me tonight. I kissed her, flipping off Connie when he made fake vomiting noises. We were interrupted when Reiner shoved himself in between us, shouting, “leave room for Jesus!” before passionately bashing his lips against an embarrassed Bertholdt.

****

Saturday was filled with lazing around and homework. I didn’t see Marco, he was off doing something with the rest of the swimmers. Mikasa came to my dorm and we just awkwardly talked, before playing some Halo.

“Jean, you know I’m going to beat your ass.” Mikasa gunned down my player yet again. She was really good.

I mean, holy shit.

I eventually gave up, my ego severely injured. Mikasa just laughed.

****

Sunday came, and Connie and I spent the entire day compiling a list of the best possible karaoke songs to perform at the party. It was fun just lazing about in my pyjamas, drinking coffee and listening to corny pop music.

About an hour before the party, I had a quick shower and changed into some skinny-jeans and my favourite Fall Out Boy shirt. I combed through my hair with my fingers, then flopped down onto my bed to play some time-wasting phone games. A notification popped up, causing Crossy Road to glitch. Marco’s smiling face began to fade away, and I quickly tapped the banner.

**From: Marco – HELP**

**THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!**

**To: Marco – ???**

**From: Marco – What should I wear tonight???!!! Is it formal or casual?**

I stared at my screen for a few seconds in disbelief, then cracked up laughing. Marco was freaking out because he couldn’t choose an outfit? Priceless.  
“Yo, why are you laughing?!” Connie yelled from his room.  
“Marco doesn’t know what to wear tonight!” I heard a raucous of laughter, followed by Connie throwing open my door and stealing my phone, only to laugh even harder at the messages. Another notification popped up.

**From: Marco – JEAN! HELP MEEEEEE!!!!**

**To: Marco – OMG XD dude, srsly?? just wear jeans and a shirt**

**From: Marco – But then I would look too casual! Ymir and Krista are wearing nice things… should I wear a tie?**

**To: Marco – NO! its all casual!**

**From: Marco – I want to look nice…. :(**

**To: Marco – whatever dude, what shirts do u have?**

Connie and I spent the next 45 minutes giving Marco fashion advice. He ended up finally deciding on a light blue, button-up shirt with a black-dotted collar and black jeans. He also wore a bow-tie, which I thought would look a bit ridiculous, but he was dead-set on wearing it, so I let the matter go.

10 minutes till the party started, Connie and I began to make our way down to the Gym.

****

The team, Mikasa and I met at the front entrance. I draped an arm over Mikasa's shoulders, and we walked through the doors.

There were balloons and streamers everywhere, and enough flashing lights to cause a seizure. A long table was set up against the far wall, covered with bowls of chips, lollies, party pies, and many other assorted snacks. A separate, smaller table held bowls of punch and cans of soft-drink.

Music was blasting through the hall, but a karaoke machine was set up on a raised stage, ready for action.

I grinned down at Mikasa,  
“Hey babe, you gonna sing with me tonight?” I hoped that we could sing a duet, those were always fun, and then it’d actually feel like we were a real couple.  
“No.” She remained straight-faced. I couldn’t help but be hurt by this blatant rejection. It made me less inclined to go onstage, it would be super embarrassing to go up alone.

We met up with the rest of the basketball crew. Reiner and Bertolt both wore matching leather jackets and sunglasses – obviously Reiner’s idea of looking cool. Annie tagged along in a simple cardigan and jeans. Petra looked cute with her hair clipped up in a sort of bun, and a floral dress. Connie was wearing a denim jacket and scuffed jeans, dancing stupidly to the music.

We all headed to the snacks table, grabbing food before it got too busy. I was stuffing a sausage roll into my mouth when I saw Marco and the rest of the swim team enter the building.

I waved to get his attention, but Marco remained oblivious and disappeared into the crowd. Not long after the swim team arrived, Principal Pixis went up on stage and cleared his throat into the microphone to get our attention. Everyone went silent and the music cut off.

“Welcome students! It’s great to see such a promising group of young athletes looking up at me. To all the first years, this will be a fantastic new experience for you, and I just know you’ll train hard and have fun. And for those of you in the older grades,” he eyed off all the year 12’s in the audience, “This will be a year to decide your future, and create many great memories to take into adulthood along the way.” The hall cheered. Pixis raised a hand for calm.  
“You will face obstacles, and training will most certainly be no walk in the park, but if you put in all your effort, I know you will succeed. As you all know, this year is an exciting one for Sina’s sport faculty, as we are hosting the Youth Olympics. Scouts from all over the world will be attending this spectacular event to find the next big name in the sporting industry. For all of our talented seniors out there, this year will be your chance to shine, to make your mark in the world of sport and set forth into your promising future! **”** This was met with a deafening applause, Connie and Reiner’s hoots could be heard over the crowd. I glanced over and saw Jaeger shouting at the top of his lungs, fists pumping the air and a scarily determined expression on his face. As much as I hated the guy, I had to admit, he had heart. It seemed a little over the top, but I knew he had talent, and was likely to be scouted out during the competition. I couldn’t help but cheer a little louder – if Jaeger was going to get scouted, then so was I.

I needed this.

The music began to blare again, and all the students rushed onto the dance floor. I saw the swim team gather together, laughing and whooping. Ymir was attempting to grind against Krista, who flushed bright red and playfully pushed her away. Technically, Krista wasn’t allowed here, as she wasn’t actually part of any sport team, but no one seemed prepared to tell that to Ymir. Marco was having fun, although he seemed a little nervous. It turned out that the bow-tie actually suited him, weirdly enough. It gave him a sort of cute dorkiness that just made him look even more lovable.

Wait, did I actually think that?

My train of thought was interrupted by Reiner pulling me into a headlock.  
“Gosh Jean, stop checking out Marco, people might think that you’re _gay._ ” He laughed into my ear. My face flared up and I spluttered to defend myself. There was no way I could think of Marco like _that._ I mean, come on, I had a girlfriend for crying out loud. Reiner looked confused at my reaction,  
“Jeez dude, I was joking. Everyone knows you’re straight.” I began to laugh, as though I was in on the joke the entire time. Of course I wasn’t checking out Marco, why would I be? Reiner raised an eyebrow.

I left the group to grab a cup of punch, and was ladling the drink into a plastic cup when Coach Levi approached me. He was wearing a long-sleeved button-down with jeans that were just a little too tight. I muttered an awkward hello, trying to avoid eye contact.

Levi was seriously terrifying.

I almost jumped when I felt his clamp on my shoulder.  
“I hope you have a good season, Kirschtein. You have talent, don’t waste it.”

He walked away, heading towards the other sport coaches. I felt myself beginning to gape, then shut my mouth shut. Did Levi just pat me on the shoulder and give me a compliment? Should I run? Is the world ending?

I shivered a little, the aftermath of that traumatizing experience getting to me. I took a long sip of my punch, then headed back to the others.

The crowd cheered as an announcement was shouted over the music: karaoke was about to start. All the seniors around me looked excited, planning what songs they wanted to sing, this was tradition. However, I didn’t join them. Instead I glanced over at Mikasa, who was scanning the crowd, straight-faced as ever. Didn’t she ever smile? Oh yeah, that’s right- she only ever smiled around _Jaeger._

I squeezed her hand to try and get her attention. I scowled as she turned, and she gave me a quizzical look.  
“What’s wrong, Jean?” I attempted to wipe the anger off my face, and forced a smile.  
“Oh, uh, nothing. So, um, do you want to sing with me? I just, ah, it’ll be fun!”  
“No. I don’t like karaoke.”

  
I felt like shouting in her face, telling her that this wasn’t about the karaoke, this was about us being together and actually acting like it. It was about her showing me that she actually liked me as much as I liked her.

Of course, I didn’t say anything, and instead glanced down at my feet.  
“Are you sure? I’d really like to sing with you… maybe a duet or something...?” She looked away, and I was sure she rolled her eyes. I felt her hand leave mine, and she stepped away.  
“I’m going to go see Eren, see you later.” Then she just left. Just like that, she ditched me for her bloody step-brother. That fucking bitch.

I clenched my jaw, no longer wanting to do karaoke. I just wanted to go up to my dorm and sulk. This was seriously the last straw. I never spent time with Mikasa, she was always with Eren, and when she finally _was_ spending time with me, she didn’t even speak. I was always chasing after her, and she just ignored me.

Why the hell had she even said yes to me when I asked her out? She obviously liked Jaeger over me- and he was her fucking _step-brother._

I saw Connie coming up to me,  
“Hey dude, you wanna sing with me?” He was grinning until he saw my face, and the absence of Mikasa. He cocked his head in confusion. I felt my eyes itch in anger, and stormed off towards the side of the gym. I crossed my arms and leant against the wall, wishing I’d never come here.

The music stopped, and the karaoke begun.

The first few acts were nothing amazing, I didn’t know any of the singers, and only two of the songs. I watched as Connie went up on stage, by himself. I admired his bravery. He sung a terrible rendition of ‘Baby Got Back’, although his rapping wasn’t all that bad. I began to smile as he jumped around the stage. The crowd was loving it, and I began to forget my anger.

As more and more people went up on stage, I went back over to my group, ignoring the questions and just dancing and laughing. Connie didn’t seemed fazed that I rejected his request to sing together, but I still felt pretty bad about it. I tried to apologize, but Connie was too busy dancing to notice.

To my surprise, the crowd hushed as the next group of singers went up on stage. I looked up at the performers, wondering what could’ve caused the crowd to silence. My eyes widened as I watched Ymir, Krista, and Marco walk up to the karaoke machine, choose a song, then pick up the microphones.

Marco was going to sing? The quiet, seemingly shy, new kid was about to sing in front of an entire audience of judgemental high school students. Everyone stared intensely, waiting for the music to play.

The starting tune of ‘Bang Bang’ by Jesssie J, Ariane Grande, and Nicki Minaj played. I gaped in shock.

No way.

_“She got a body like an hourglass, but I can give it to you all the time.”_

Holy shit, this was really happening.

_“She got a booty like a Cadillac, but I can send you into overdrive, oh.”_

The crowd was deafening, and Marco was killing his solo. He was amazing, I mean freaking _awesome_ at singing. He was handling Jessie J’s belting notes perfectly, and getting more and more confident by the second.

At first, I listened in shocked amazement, then my entire body began to shake as I began to laugh. I couldn’t stop- this was absolute gold. Connie was in tears, and Reiner was attempting to hold himself off the floor with Bertolt’s shirt.

_“Bang bang into the room, I know you want it. Bang bang all over you, I let you have it. Wait a minute let me take you there, wait a minute till you ahhh.”_

Ymir, Krista and Marco all sung in unison for the chorus, and had even begun dancing. I couldn’t decide whether to marvel at Marco’s amazing hidden talent, or burst my stomach with laughter. It was getting hard to breathe. Next, it was Krista’s solo, singing Ariane Grande’s solo. Her voice was sweet, like her personality, however, it was a little to high-pitched for my liking. I had never known her to have this much confidence, but I guess with Ymir at her side and the knowledge that literally everyone in the room loved her was enough comfort for her to perform.

They belted out the chorus again, accompanying the words with dance moves that were a little too sexual. Grinding, body rolls, lots of hip movement and bending legs – it all matched perfectly to this priceless performance.

Ymir killed her solo of Nicki Minaj’s rap. I’d always thought she’d be good at rapping, she just seemed like that kind of girl. Krista seemed impressed, beaming like a mother watching their child perform in a school play.

Marco stepped forward, preparing for Jessie J’s powerful solo.

_“See anybody could be good to you, you need a bad girl to blow your mind.”_

The crowd fell silent again, amazed that Marco could reach those notes, then erupted in cheering and laughter. Ymir, Krista and Marco sung the final chorus – Marco even slut-dropped at the end, earning an even bigger applause. The laughter went on for a while, and Marco disappeared from the stage like a bullet, obviously eager to escape the crowd’s attention after such a bold act. I had a stitch ripping at my side, and I felt extremely dizzy from lack of air.

That was the most hilarious thing I’d ever seen.

My eyes were stilled blurred from tears, so I didn’t notice Marco as he ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.  
“D-dude- I can’t- oh my god that was fucking gold.” I managed to gasp out words between panting laughter. Marco flushed bright red, and rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Y-yeah… Ymir and Krista literally dragged me up there, and I guess I got a little bit carried away…” He gave a nervous chuckle. I straightened up, taking deep breaths.  
“I had no idea you could sing, you’re fucking awesome dude!” I punched him in the shoulder, and he blushed even brighter.  
“Ah, yeah… I mean, I guess… I only really sing in like, the shower and stuff…” I clapped him had on the back, then broke down into another fit of laughter.  
“ _You did a fucking slut-drop.”_ Marco joined in this time, then fell into a fit of coughing. He ran to get a cup of water, and I looked around the gym. It was nearing the end of the party, streamers had fallen down, and all the students were looking tired. It was only 9:30, but we had school the next day.

With a jolt, I saw Mikasa coming towards me through the crowd. I had completely forgotten my anger during Marco’s performance, and was not keen to remember it. I could tell she was coming over to say goodnight, but I couldn’t stand to face her right now. I would probably snap at her, and I didn’t want to come off as an over-protective ass-hat, even if I was one. I immediately veered into the most crowded part of the dance floor, successfully avoiding her. I felt a bit bad, I mean, at least she’d actually thought about seeing me before she left, but I was done with feeling bad about how I acted towards her.

I was done with being second in line to Jaeger.

I’d like to say it broke my heart to say it, to say that I was going to end it with Mikasa. But if I was being honest with myself, all it really was was physical attraction, and I couldn’t keep up a relationship by just thinking my date was hot. This sudden decision made me nervous – what was I going to do? How was I going to tell her I wanted to stop?

These thoughts stopped when Marco found me, still a little red in the face. His throat was croaky, so he decided to call it a night. We said goodbye, but then spent another 15 minutes at the entrance laughing about the karaoke stunt. By the time we actually left the party, most of the students had already dispersed.

Marco headed towards the girl’s dorm, and I headed for the guy’s.

I stayed up till 11, running through the events of the night in my head. Overall, I thought it was a good party, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was going to leave Mikasa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO ALL I AM NOT DEAD!!! That's a relief.  
> I hope you enjoyed that long waited for chapter, I am so sorry it took that long to come out XD  
> I've been very busy, but finally wrote something XD 
> 
> Tell me what you think! Give me some kudos! Give me suggestions for things that could happen! 
> 
> I hope you guys all stick with me, even though I've taken so long to update this! I will attempt to update sooner :) 
> 
> Here's a link to Bang Bang, just so u can listen to it while reading the karaoke scene... trust me, it's great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COMM4R6bwM0


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